Signaling system



July 7, 1925. 1,544,926

H. W. NICHOLS S IGNALING SYSTEM Filed April 6, .1920

lnvemor: Harold W Nichols.

by M6144 I Patented July 7, 192 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD W. NICHOLS, OF MAPLE'WOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELEC- TRIO COMPANY INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed April 6, 1920. Serial N'o. 371,574.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD W. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maplewood, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description. y This invention relates to signaling systems and particularly to apparatus for use in high ,speed signaling systems, such as telegraph systems.

An object of the invention is the provision of means responsive to signaling impulses for producing in a local circuit a unidirectional current irres ective of the polarity of the signaling impu ses. I y

In accordance with the above and other objects, there is provided a pair of electron discharge devices responsive to signaling current impulses for reducing in a local circuit including auxiliary control meansa unidirectional polarizing current irrespective of the polarity of the signaling current impulses.

- In the relay system of this, invention,

neither the core nor the armature are normally energized but are magnet zed only for the duration. of the current impulse 1m:- pressed on the line. This permits the use of an extremely weak biasing spring to maintain the'armature'of the relay in its neutral position since there is no tendency to be attracted by the operating pole pieces.

Chattering of the armature on its contacts is also reduced to a minimum since the biasing spring is weak and does not tend to pull the armature from its contacts.

It is obvious that in such a construction.

weaker line impulses may be used to operate the relay than are ordinarily used for the purpose.

The means used to relay the impulses to the magnetizing winding is preferably of the thermionic repeater type in which there is practically no lost time element between the line impulses and the magnetlzing 11npulses. The speed is, therefore, limited only by the characteristics of the relay windings. The invention will be better understood by referringto the drawing, which shows the method and system in its preferred form. In .the polarized relay a .soft iron magnetic core 1 has the poles 2 and 3 supporting two magnetizing windings 4 and 5.

ture 6 becomes a north pole.

These magnetizing windings 4 and 5 are connected in series as is usually the case in polarized relays. The armature 6, pivoted on the magnetic core 1, is adapted to swing between the poles 2 and 3. A biasing spring of any suitable type 7 shown here for simphcity of description as a coil spring, maintains the armature in a neutral position between the contacts 8 and 9. The operating winding 10 is adapted to magnetize the an mature 6 so that it may be attracted by elther pole piece 2 or 3 depending upon its polarity. The line circuit having the two sides 11 and 12 is provided with a switching key 13, which key is adapted to send line positive or negative impulses from the battery 24 out over the lines 11 and 12. The battery 24: and key 13 are shown merely as a simple means and source of impulses.

The operating winding 10 is connected in series with the line 11 so that the winding is energized to a polarity depending upon the polarity of the impulses impressed on the lines 11 and 12. A resistance 23 is shunted across the lines 11 and'12 at any convenient points. 14 and 15 respectively.

The grid circuit of thermionic repeater 16 is shunted across the resistance 23 at points 17 and 18. Similarly, thegrid circuit of thermionic repeater 19 is shunted across the resistance 23 at points 17 and 20. The plate circuits of the repeaters 16 and 19 are connected in shunt relation so that the mag netizing windings ,4- and 5 and the battery 21 are common to the plate circuits of both audions. A flow of current from the fila ment to the grid, in each of the repeaters 16 and 19 is prevented by the inclusion in the grid circuit of a polarizing source of potential 22. This source of potential 22 is adjusted to a voltage at which it no more than balances the potential in the plate circuits. n

Vhen a positive impulse is sent out over the line 11, the operating winding 10 is energized so that the free end of the arma- The current flows through the' resistance 23 back over the line 12. It also tends to charge the grid of the repeater 16 positivelyand the grid of the repeater 19 negatively thereby allowing a slight flow of current in the plate circuit of the repeater 16. This flow of current in the plate circu'it energizes the magnetizing windings 4 and 5 so that the pole piece 2 becomes a northpole and the pole piece 3 becomes a south pole.

If a negative impulse is sent out over the line 11, the operating winding 10 magnetizes the free end of the armature 6 to become a south pole. The'grid of the repeater 19 is less positively charged and the grid of the repeater 16 is more negatively charged. This permits a flow of current in the plate circuit of the repeater 19 and, as before, the magnetizing windings 4 and 5 magnetize the core 1 so that the pole piece 2 is a north pole and the pole piece 3 is a south pole. The armature 6 thus swings toward the pole piece 3 when a positive impulse is sent out over the line 11, and swings toward the pole piece 2 when a negative impulse is sent out. The contacts 8 and 9' are adjusted so that they contact with the armature 6 when the armature swings to and fro.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of operating a polarized relay having polarizing and operating windings which comprises energizing the operating winding by current impulses impressed on a circuit, and energizing the polarizin winding by other current impulses o a uniform polarity and corresponding in duration substantially with the said current impulses impressed on a cir- 'cuit.

2. The method of operating a polarized relay having operating and polarizing windings b'yactuating current impulses, which comprises energizing the operating winding of the relay by current impulses of the character of the actuatin impulses, and simultaneously energizin t e polarizing winding by current impu ses of a uniform polarity controlled by the actuating impulses.

' 3. The method of operating a polarized relay, having operating and polarizing windings by actuating current impulses which comprises energizing the o erating winding of the relay by such actuating current impulses and simultaneously energiz ing the polarizing winding by current impulses o a uniform polarity controlled by the said actuating impulses.

4. Themethod of applying actuating current impulses to a po arized relay having operatingv and polarizing windings which comprises energizing the operating winding by such impulses and simultaneously energizing the polarizing winding by current impulses of uniform polarity relayed to the poarizirig winding and 'controlled'by the said actuating current impulses.

5. In combination with a normally deenergized polarized relay, a source of ositive and negative electrical impulses, an means whereby the polarizing magnet of said relay is energized similarly by all of said impulses, and the-operating magnets of said relay are energized in a direction depending upon the, direction of said impulses.

6. In a system for operating a polarized relay, having operating and (polarizing windings, a source of positive an negative electrical impulses adapted to energize the operating winding, a source of current of uniform polarity adapted to energize thepolarizing winding, and relay means controlled by such positive and negative impulses, whereby the operating and polarizing windings are energized simultaneously.

7. .In a system for operating a polarized relay having operating and polarizing windings, a source ofv positive and negative current impulses adapted to energize the operating winding, 9. source of current of uniform polarity adapted to energize the polarizing winding, normallyk polarized thermionic repeater means wit the source of positive and negative impulses connected in input relation thereto and the source of current of uniform polarity in output relation thereto, and circuit connections whereby the operating and polarizing windings are simultaneously energized.

8. In a system for operating a polarized relay having operating and polarizing windings, a source of positive and negative current impulses adapted to energize the operating winding, a source of current .of uniform polarity adaptedto energize the polarizing windings, two normally polarized thermionic devices arranged in a s metrical circuit, witli the source of positive and negative impulses connected in the input circuit thereof and the source of current of uniform polarity connected in the output circuit thereof, and circuit connections for simultaneously energizing the operating and polarizing windings.

9. In combination, a source of electric impulses of opposite polarity, a pair of vacuum tubes having anode, cathode and grid electrodes, the grid, electrodes being Op 0- sitely connected in series with each other across said source, means for normally charging the grid electrodes of said tubes negatively whereby said tubes are substantially non-conducting during non-o crating periods, a circuit commonlto the in ividual output circuits-of said tubes, circuit connections extending from said common circuit in which said impulses are unidirectionallyrepeated irrespective of the polarity of the impulses impressed on said grid electrodes, and means included in said circuit connections for utilizing the repeated impulses. I

10. In combination, a line conductor, a source of electric impulses of opposite polarity, means for transmitting mch impulses over said conductor, a pairof vacuum tubes having their input electrodes oppositely connected in series'with each other across said line conductor, an output circuit for each of said tubes, means for normally charging the grid electrodes of said tubes negatively whereby said tubes are substantially nonconducting during non-operating periods, a circuit common to the individual output circuits of said tubes, circuit connections ex.- tending from said common circuit in which said impulses are unidirectionally repeated irrespective of the polarity of the impulses impressed on said grid electrodes, and a relay included in said circuit connections and responsive to the repeated impulses.

11. In combination, a line conductor, a source of electric impulses of opposite polarity, means for transmitting such impulses over said conductor, a pair of vacuum tubes having their input electrodes oppositely connected in series with each other across said line conductor, a relay having polarizing and operating windings, said'operating winding being connected with said line conductor while said polarizing windings are associated with said vacuumtubes, andcircuit connections whereby unidirectional impulses arerepeatcd from said vacuum tubes 25 to said polarizing windings.

In witnesswhereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day of April A. D., 1920.

HAROLD W. NICHOLS. 

